A child in need
by The Pygairian
Summary: The Doctor was too late to save the space station Athena. Everyone died. Everyone, that is, except a young girl by the name of Sadie. Now Sadie's home is gone, and the Doctor and Jamie must care for her as best they can, while the Doctor deals with the aftermath of the deaths. Collection of loosely connected One-shots. DISCONTINUED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!
1. Too late

**AN: This is an idea I got a while ago. I finally managed to get it down on paper, so to speak. I hope you enjoy it. Please review. I love any chance to make my writing better. I'm planning on writing quite a few more situations and stories with these characters. Suggestions are welcome!**

**_Sadie is introduced to the Tardis and her crew, and begins her travels with them through tragic circumstances. Characters are Jamie, the Doctor, and Sadie._**

Sadie liked musical instruments. Especially strange alien musical instruments. She was captivated by this even stranger little man who sat alone on a chair. He sat in the science labratory of this, the space station Athena, gently blowing through the mouth piece, and covering and uncovering holes in the instrument to change the notes.

She watched as he played out a simple melody. He looked thoughtful as he played, as if thinking about some far off mystical dream.

Sadie crept closer so as to hear better. He caught sight of her, and paused. "Hello there." He said, smiling gently. "Liked my playing, did you?"

Sadie nodded, feeling wary of the stranger.

"What's your name?" he asked, gently.

"Sadie."

"I'm the Doctor. I'm here to help the scientists." He frowned. "Though they don't seem to appreciate it very much." He paused a moment, giving Sadie an odd look. "Do you like music, Sadie?" he asked, gently.

Sadie nodded.

"Do you know what this is?" He asked, motioning toward his instrument.

Sadie shook her head.

"Its called a recorder. Its from Sol III, also known as earth." He smiled. "Its my favorite instrument."

"You play it well." Sadie said, begining to feel her unease melt away.

The Doctor looked flattered. "Why, thank you, my dear. Tell me... how old are you, Sadie?"

"16." She responded, proudly. "In standard cycles. In substandard, I'm eleven."

The Doctor frowned for a moment. "That would make you about 12 in earth years." He muttered. He stared off into space for a moment, as if thinking. Then he looked back at her with a warm smile again. "You haven't seen a Human, a young man, in a skirt nearby, have you?" He asked. "He's my friend."

"No." Sadie looked at him a moment. This man was... different than the other grown ups. He was kinder, and he had no color markings on his face like the other people. His clothes, she thought, were very strange. And now he was asking about a young man in a skirt. Perhaps he was human as well.

"Ah. Thats okay. If you do see him, will you tell him I'm looking for him, and tell him where I am?"

Sadie nodded. The Doctor thanked her, and then continued playing his instrument.

Sadie watched him a moment and then turned and walked away.

-DWDWDW-

She wandered the halls looking for anything to keep her mind busy. All the grown ups were doing science stuff, and when she returned to the place where the odd little man had been, he was gone.

Sadie wandered round a corner, and saw an open door. She could hear voices from within. _This is the residential area. Aren't all the grown ups in the science division?_

She quietly approached the door, and listened a moment.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid! The kalid aren't technologically advanced enough yet to see the danger of what they're doing! They have no idea the consequences of dealing with the Aithium cores, but they won't listen to me!" She recognized the voice of the Doctor. " If they go ahead with their plans, even if it doesn't blow, it could release the toxic aithium gas, and everyone on this space station would die."

"Aye, tha' is bad." A new voice said. "Wha' do we do, Doctor?"

"The kalid are not a reasonable people. I've had trouble with them before. But I think I can cut out the power in the science devision long wnough for me to get the Aithium cores stablized. They're due to start in a half hour, which should be enough time. It all debends on if I can Isolate the... hullo?" both of them grew silent.

Sadie held her breath, and pressed herself against the wall. A moment later, the Doctor peaked out of the room. He immediately caught sight of Sadie. An expression of suspicion was swiftly replaced by one of warm kindness.

"Well, well, well, well, well!" he said, gently. A smile spread on his face. "What have we here? Sadie, was it? What are you doing, listening in on our conversation, hmm? You shouldn't do that, you know." His warm kindness was replaced with an expression of gentle reproach.

"I was bored." Sadie responded, finding it impossible to be afraid of this kindly man. "All the grown ups are in their meeting, and I was by myself."

A flash of worry flickered on the Doctor's face. Then it was covered by the warm smile again. "I'm sure my friend Jamie would be willing to keep you company." He led her into the room.

Inside was a standard living quarter, with two beds on either side, a small kitchen off to one side, and a door leading to a small bathroom. But something that should not have been there was a large blue box with strange characters and letters written on it. It didn't look like any of the several writing styles Sadie had been taught. A gentle humming came from it, and Sadie could almost feel a voice in it.

The other oddity of the room was, sitting on one of the beds, a young human male. He had a gentle face, and warm eyes. The most unusual aspect though, was that he wore a knee-length skirt with criss-crossing colors on it.

"Why are you wearing a skirt?" Sadie asked, almost immediately.

The young man frowned. "It's no' a skirt. It's a fine scottish kilt, in the McLaren tartan. Have'nae ye ever seen one before?"

"Jamie," the Doctor said, his voice urgent. The young man looked at him. "They've started the process early. I have to go. If I don't stop them, the whole base will blow. Keep an eye on her, and if anything happens, go in the Tardis. I'll be as quick as I can." With that, he was gone out the door.

Jamie, or so the doctor called him, stared after the retreating figure, worry on his face. Then he turned back to Sadie, and it was covered with a smile. "What's your name, lass?" he asked.

Sadie told him.

"I'm Jamie. Jamie McCrimmon, bu' people just call me Jamie."

Sadie looked up at Jamie. "Why do you talk like that?" she asked.

"It's because I do'nae speak this language as me first language. I'm from a very place verra far away." He explained.

"Oh." Sadie looked over at the blue box. "What is that?"

"Its called the Tardis. Its a space and time machine."

Sadie stared at the old box. It was just a box on the outside, but she could feel the hum, and a sort of psychic influence coming from it. She filled with curiosity and wonder. "Can I see inside?" She asked.

"Well, I do'nae-..." The room around them suddenly rocked, throwing them off their feet. They heard a distant explosion. In a moment, the room settled somewhat. The room was dark, and panels had been torn and damaged on the walls. Sparks showered down from damaged wires and machinery.

Sadie clung to Jamie, fear nearly choking her. The young man held on to her, shifting her so she was sitting piggyback style. "Do'nae let go, no matter what!" he said to her.

Jamie quickly moved to the Tardis, and pulled out a key. Before he could insert it in the key slot, the room pitched again. This time, they could hear the awful sound of metel tearing. As quick as he could, he stumbled to the door again, shoving the key in the lock. The door opened, and he quickly pushed his way in, carrying Sadie with him.

The first thing Sadie noticed was that the humming she had felt was now ten times stronger. The second was that the tiny box somehow contained a very large room.

Jamie untangled himself from her. "Are ye alright?" he asked her.

Sadie nodded. She looked around the room, her eyes wide. "Its bigger than I thought it was." She said after a moment.

Inspite of the impending danger, Jamie smiled. "Aye," he said, nodding.

The whole room shifted, violently. The two of them were thrown to the ground. As the world around them settled, Jamie picked himself again.

"What's happening?" Sadie asked, her eyes full of fear.

"I do'nae know..." Jamie said, his voice shaky. "But the Doctor... He'll sort things out..." He didn't sound very confident.

Sadie suddenly felt an overwhelming emotion. She fought it, but couldn't control it as she had been taught to. "I'm afraid." She acknowledged, fighting back tears.

Jamie knelt by her, and comforted her. "Shh, it will be alright." He soothed. "The Doctor can fix things."

Sadie clung to him, digging her fingers into the fabric of his shirt, as the room shuddered again. Jamie clung to her, to keep her from being flung away. He shielded her, protectively, until it passed. A moment later, they heard a pounding on the door.

"Jamie! Open the door!" It was the Doctor's voice.

With difficulty, Jamie managed to reach the console while still clutching Sadie close. He flipped the switch opening the door, just as another tremor started.

The Doctor collapsed forward, into the Tardis, gasping for air. His clothes and hair were disheveled. He had soot all over himself, and a gash on his forehead with blood dripping down his face. "Quick!" He gasped. "Shut the door!"

Jamie flipped the switch, and the door closed. The Doctor staggered to the console, and quickly started the takenoff process.

"Doctor, what's-..." Jamie was cut off by a particularly violent shudder.

The time rotor began moving up and down, and the Tardis began to wheeze and groan. In a moment, everything went still.

"Doctor, what happened?" Jamie asked, breaking the momentary silence. Sadie still clung to him.

The Doctor leaned heavily on the controls, breathing hard. There was a haunted look in his eyes. "I was... too late..." he finally said. "I was too late..." He suddenly went deathly pale, and collapsed to the floor.

Jamie set Sadie down, quickly, and moved to his friend's side.

Sadie stared a moment, the situation too much for her. Her emotions that she had been taught so long to control were now overwhelming her mind. She fought back tears, and pulled her knees to her chest, gentle sobs issuing from her.

Jamie looked torn as to whether he should tend to the Doctor, or to the girl. After checking that the Doctor was breathing, and his pulse was steady, Jamie took Sadie in an embrace, and soothed her, stroking her hair, and rocking her back and forth. "Shhh... It's alright, lassy..." he said, gently.

Sadie felt a calming sense come over her, and she suddenly felt exhausted. She felt herself drift closer to sleep, and as she did, she felt a comforting hum in the back of her mind, assuring her everything would turn out alright.


	2. Too late part 2

**_AN/ Sorry this took so long. School started, so my updating will probably be slower. Sorry about that. _**

**_The_****_ Doctor, Jamie, and Sadie talk and sort things out. Continuation of the first._** **_Characters_****_ in this are Jamie, Sadie, and the Doctor._**

As Sadie's whimpering quieted, Jamie glanced back at the Doctor. The Time Lord hadn't stirred yet. Jamie checked Sadie to see she had fallen into an exhausted slumber. Carefully, he lifted her, and carried her to his own room. He didn't have time to find her her own. He had no idea what state the Doctor was in. For all he knew, the Time Lord could be dying. Luckily, his room wasn't far. He placed Sadie in his bed, and tucked her in. Then he snuck out, quietly, and all but ran to the console room again.

When he got there, the Doctor hadn't stirred. He lay, breathing shallowly, and sweat had begun rolling down his skin. Jamie felt his forehead and found it warm to the touch. He lifted the Time Lord as gently as possible, and carried him down the winding corridor to the med bay.

-DWDWDW-

Sadie woke to the same soft humming she had heard coming from this strange space ship. She blinked, and, after her eyes adjusted to the light, found herself in a large room, in a large bed. There was a table at the side of the bed, with a tray of steaming food on it.

Sadie stared at the food a moment, but found she had no appetite. The memories of what had happened were still fresh in her mind. She observed her suroundings. There was a closet to one side, and through the partially open door, she could see clothing including a few more skirts like the young man, Jamie, had been wearing.

Sadie slipped out from under the covers, and slid of the side of the large bed, finding that the floor was not cold as she expected. She walked to the door of the room, and peeked out. A corridor led past the room. It was empty and still, aside from the humming.

Sadie thought for a moment. She didn't want to get lost in this strange space craft. But she needed to find the others.

The humming changed in pitch slightly, and suddenly, Sadie thought she could hear faint voices coming from down the corridor.

Sadie followed the voices down the hall, and found them coming from behind a door that was open slightly. She recognized the voices of her two comrades.

"I really am fine, Jamie." the Doctor's voice insisted. "I only passed out from shock, thats all. You needn't make such a fuss."

"Aye, that's what ye said that time with the Draconians. Remember what 'appened then?" Jamie reminded.

The Doctor didn't reply.

"Aye," Jamie said, after a moment. "Ye thought ye were fine then too."

"But I really am fine this time!" The Doctor sounded exasperated. "Oh, Alright! If you insist on treating me like a child, I suppose there's nothing I can do to stop you."

Sadie gently pushed the door open enough for her to enter. The two occupants froze, looking at her.

The doctor had a white bandage on his forehead where he had had a cut earlier. he was sitting on a bed.

"Jamie, you didn't tell me..." The Doctor started to say. He looked stunned, and slightly haunted.

"It temporarily slipped me mind..." Jamie said, equally surprised at her appearance.

The three of them stood in stunned silence for a moment.

"Are you alright?" Sadie asked the Doctor, breaking the silence. This seemed to break the tension in the room.

The Doctor smiled slightly. "I will be soon..."

"What happened?" Sadie asked.

"Well, ye see-..." The Scot began to say, but was ccut off as the Doctor elbowed him hard. "Wha' was that for?" Jamie said quietly, rubbing his arm.

"Well, you see my dear," The Doctor began. "The space station is having some... trouble..." he glanced up at Jamie, giving him a hard stare. "We were supposed to bring you with us... until... well, until everything is... back to normal. Do you understand?"

Sadie looked at him a moment. She closed her eyes a moment. His psychic field was unreadable. She was confused by this. She turned to his companion, Jamie. The young man was clearly showing he believed the story to be false. "Thats not true." She said, opening her eyes.

The Doctor looked surprised. "Right. I forgot that Kalids have advanced psychic abilities."

"Wha', ye mean she can read my mind?" Jamie looked skeptical.

"No, Jamie. But she can tell if we're lying." The Doctor looked apologetic. "I'm so very sorry, Sadie. We were only trying to protect you from the truth." He took a deep breath, and spoke slowly. "The space station was... destroyed. I'm sorry."

Sadie stared, not believing the words. It couldn't be true. But though she could not read the Doctor, his companion believed him. A weight settled in her heart "Thank you for telling me." She said, looking at the floor. "Excuse me please." Sadie turned and left the room. She needed time to collect her thoughts.

-DWDWDW-

Jamie watched as the young girl left the room. She hadn't shown much emotion at being told what had happened. He turned to the Doctor, and paused when he saw his friend's face.

Instead of the usual energy he always had, the Time Lord looked utterly exhausted. A weight of age like a thousand unknown griefs had settled on him. His already small frame looked smaller under the invisible weight.

"Doctor..." Jamie started to say.

The Doctor took a deap breath, and straightened up. "Jamie, why don't you go get some rest? You've been looking after me long enough."

Jamie nodded, recognizing it as an invitation to leave. He turned and walked to the door, only glancing back at the doctor for a moment before slipping out the door.

-DWDWDW-

Sadie sat curled up against the wall of the corridor. She had wandered for who knows how long, fighting the emotions she felt. She had been taught her whole life that emotions inhibit and obstruct. Even at such a young age, she had been trained to control and master them. Now they overwhelmed her mind and body, sapping her strength, and leaving her empty and alone.

_Alone. _

That was what she was. Alone. There was no one else. They were all dead, and here she was, trapped on a strange ship with two complete strangers. Everything was foreign. The only thing that even remotely comforted her was that strange humming that seemed to surround her.

She had felt it in the back of her mind, soothing her. Its gentle pulsating vibrations entered her mind and wrapped around it protectively, almost like a warm blanket. It was almost as if the ship, the Tardis, as Jamie had called it, was alive. But that would be impossible, wouldn't it?

She heard footsteps coming down the corridor toward her. Someone approached her and sat down next to her. She didn't look up, but she could tell by the shoes and checkered trousers it was the Doctor.

"Sadie..." he said, quietly. "I'm sorry..."

Sadie turned away from him. She was tired of everyone being sorry. She knew what he would say. She was tired of everyone telling her things would be okay. They wouldn't.

The Doctor stayed quiet a moment. "I can't begin to understand how you feel." He said. "And I'm not going to tell you everything will be okay, because... well, it won't be. This must be difficult for you. Your kind prefer to push emotions away rather than embrace them as humans do. Unfortunately, this can make it more difficult for them to cope when they can't control them."

The Doctor paused a moment. "Emotions are very powerful. Especially when bad things happen to those we care about. But we still must go on living. Eventually the pain will lessen. You'll have so much more to think about, especially now that you're with Jamie and I." He paused. "I don't expect you to forget about it and be happy right away. Take all the time you need. I will do everything in my power to make you comfortable. When you're ready, Jamie and I will be waiting for you."

Sadie was struck by these words. She had never encountered anyone who understood feelings like this.

The Doctor got up to leave.

Sadie looked up at him.

He paused when she looked at him, not turning to face her. Then he walked away.

Sadie looked after him. She suddenly saw the goofy little man in a different light. Underneath that mop of hair and oversized coat, there was a wise and wonderful being. But what struck her was the genuine concern in his voice. She realized, with a slight shock, that though her home was gone, she was not alone.

-DWDWDW-

Jamie found the Doctor in the console room, fiddling with some gadget or other on the console.

"Ay, I told ye to rest, Doctor." The scot reprimanded. "What'er ye doing up?"

"The Tardis might not have escaped that station unscathed." The Doctor replied. "And I'm just fine, thank you. Just making sure everything is functioning properly. I'd hate to run into something or crash because I was busy resting." He gave Jamie a hard look.

The Scot frowned. "Are we goin'tae crash?" he asked, concerned.

"No, Jamie. It seems everything is in order, aside from needing a tune up here and there." The Doctor messed with one of the controls. "Shouldn't take me long. Then we can continue in our travels."

"What about the lass, Sadie?" Jamie asked.

"She'll come when she's ready. Her race is not used to losing control of their emotions like that. It could take her some time to recover." The Doctor crouched down and removed a pannel from below the console. He started messing with the wires and things underneath.

Jamie watched the Doctor climb under, and begin working.

The door on the far wall opened slowly, and a small figure peaked through. Jamie paused when he saw Sadie.

"Doctor," he said, nudging the figure on the floor.

"Not now, Jamie. I'm busy."

"Doctor, Sadie's here."

Something under the console thumped, and the Doctor cried out in pain. In a moment, he was out from under the console, rubbing his head. He smiled as he caught sight of Sadie.

"Sadie!" he said, happily. "We weren't expecting you yet."

The girl looked at him a moment, her face impassive. Then she observed her surroundings. "Your ship... could it take me back to my home planet?"

"Aye," Jamie said. "Though it might take a wee while."

"Why?"

"The Doctor can'nae control it."

The Doctor frowned as Jamie said this. "Of course I can control it!" Then he turned to Sadie. "My ship just has a mind of its own sometimes. She might not take me where I want to go, but she always takes me where I need to be." He paused a moment, seeing the skeptical look on Sadie's face. "I'll do what I can to get you home, Sadie. I promise."

Sadie considered this. Then a slight smile spread on her face. "Okay." She said.


End file.
